EXPRESS REQUEST.

Hello God,

The last time I inquired, you were gorgeously and graciously seated on your mighty throne enjoying all the “fans”.  That isn’t bad a thing to do at all. After all, who can assume to take your place? Absolutely no one.  

Well, as usual I have come to disturb you again today. As you’re aware, a lot is going on here that beats my understanding. We, the best of your creation have turned our backs on you and you seem not to worry. We have plundered the fruits and desecrated the land that bore them. We have conveniently convinced ourselves that we are gods of the acreage and have sold them to strangers forgetting about our children and their children.

God, we have cut down trees, sold them less, bought them back in furniture from our slave masters expensively to decorate houses we have built with little or no occupants, when those who are in awful need of a single room occupancy are parading our streets famished with no hope for the future. We have killed all the wild animals which once majestically adorned our forest to the detriment of our little school going kids who only get to know of such in a white man’s books

Depleted Forest Cover 

The other day, someone took a lot of money to build homes affordable by the average Ghanaian

but couldn’t deliver yet came back to ask for more money.  Some other persons who stole a few gallons of fuel are being lead to the slaughters whiles the real perpetrators of crime are enjoying the full blast of the latest inverter air-con and the rest of us are sweating in the smothering heat from the sun because we have cut all the trees to boil kenkey.  is there a future for the generation unborn?

See eerrrrr, we promised to take very good care of our inheritance but are stealthily giving it out to some strange short people whose eye balls my lenses can’t see under the sun. God, they are abusing our mothers and sisters, killing our fathers and brothers for the glittering substance in the ground. Recently, we have given a huge portion of our “asaase” where my granny goes to fetch firewood and grandpa hunt for rabbits and mushrooms to some guys to mine bauxite.

Oh Papa, when will you lift your little mighty finger upon us?  When will you begin to push those who have deceived us into the gutters by their beautiful houses or make them lose their way to such meeting or in short make their huge cars small like “konko” cars when they are conceiving how to steal the little left of us. A typical case of the rich feasting on the poor which reminds me of a song sung in primary school “life in this world is a great struggle…”

We have lost the love you so much cherish leading to vilification and killing each other without provocation recourse to the laws. Forgetting that one day we shall stand judgement before your throne.

Dear God, in the name of your lovely son Jesus Christ, turn the table round. Make all genuinely hard working individuals rich and the unrepentant corrupt individuals impoverished. At least they will understand how it feels. You have taught me not to wish my brother evil but these brothers of mine “dieeeeeeeeeeerrrrr, daabi da”.     

There is to much wickedness here. Pastors who have sworn to do your bidding have metamorphosed to something else. Ripping of congregants of monies they don’t have. Bosses of companies and institutions taking advantage of the vulnerable.

I could go on and on till the sheets here finish but knowing how busy you are, allow me to put in a few request.  First forgive us for we have failed you in a number of ways I can’t mention because it’s embarrassing. Bless all the hustlers, the widows and orphans, the homeless and many other people who genuinely seek you and finally help and bless our leaders with COMMON SENSE.

Your son,

K. Oteng.

 

"EY3 NORMAL"- IT IS NORMAL

I love the fact that I’m a Ghanaian for a million reasons: The food, music, dance et al.  In recent times however, my love for this country is running low like a poor man’s bank account. Having read Lee Kwan Yew’s “From Third world to First” I shudder to think why Ghana is in its current state. The experiences and accounts of some close relatives and friends who have visited or live abroad tells me we have short-change ourselves as a country. I know very well that several discussions have been held but the question(s) still persist.

My confusion starts with the existence of rich and poor countries and why Ghanaians have adopted this simple but deadly phrase “ey3 normal  ”. In my mind, why is the world divided as such? “Rich and Poor”.  I seriously don’t belief any man or nation for that matter was created poor or rich as said by the first female Prime Minister of Mozambique Luisa Diogo  “It is no country’s destiny to be poor”. We were all given a blank cheque. Methinks we wrote a few million cedis and spent it lavishly on trivialities whiles others spent on what mattered most to them.

All the so- called rich nations did things and are still doing things which the so- called third world countries are not doing. THEY ARE THINKING. This is not to say the poor countries are not thinking. Fortunately they do but unlike their rich counterparts they only think about frivolities.

In most parts of Africa, “ey3 NORMAL” for a sworn leader in whom the people have entrusted their rights to misappropriate funds, indirectly pelt insults at them, walk away head high and have the audacity to organize campaigns to run for leadership positions. If this isn’t madness, what other word can best describe this?

Another aspect of what we see in our daily lives as a people is the impunity with which the leadership throw their weight around.  Making it look like they are not accountable to anyone. It hurts to say that the fingers of accusation cannot be pointed at them because “ey3 NORMAL”. We have allowed ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the one who steals a bag of rice deserves more prison time than the one who misappropriate colossal amounts of state resources.  we throw rubbish away anyhow, build in water ways, misuse and destroy state properties, disregard rules, the incessant injustice meted out to the poor, making it look like justice is a commodity and turn to look at ourselves sheepishly when the results of our actions are laid bare before us. Well, “ey3 NORMAL”.

Our problems as a country will linger on for decades to come if the silent majority does not act but largely because we have normalized stupidity. What is even my problem? “ey3 NORMAL”. Soon the rains will come. Lives will be lost, properties will float and the long talks will be heard and read. In the end, it shall be a case of much ado about nothing.

But guess what, on the other side of the world, NORMAL is doing the right thing. Normal is a leader bowing out for not executing his mandate as expected. Normal is not throwing rubbish in drains and certainly normal is the little things done right by citizens. These are

NORMAL.

MY DEAR WIFE

Over the last few years I have observed with pleasure my mum and dad grow beautifully together. I have seen them have marital squabbles severally and yet got over it easily (I’m not sure how they do it)

As I sit at my desk in the study of my one room self contain, illuminated by a single white electric bulb holding on firmly to its holder in the center of the ply wood ceiling, with my mind running fast and wide, I thought of how far my parents had come in marriage.  I want to also go further, so I decided to write a letter to my future wife. Here it goes:

                                                 

My Dear Wife,

This year has really been a tough one for me but thinking about you gives me so much joy to put in writing these words to you. I know it sounds crazy really to do this but wherever you are and whoever you are, know this; I’m looking forward to meeting you sooner than later because I’m brutally in love with you so we get to know each other then formalization will take place. Before that however, there are a few things I would like you to take note of. Here we go:

I am not perfect therefore I don’t expect that you are. I strive to do my best each given day so I hope you do same.

Please expect neither a fun filled marriage life nor a boring life. I will do well to balance it. Life is already complicated so do you best and leave the rest to God. Let’s make things as simple as we can.

Don’t worry if you culinary skills are terrible. I eat plenty salt and pepper if that will be the problem. I will by the way share with you what I know how to do best. “Angua Mo”(Braised Rice) and pepper with a rice cooker of course. The last time I tried charcoal, I got my hands burnt.

My Dear, I have no idea how many kids you might want to have but I am looking forward to fathering three of them. I pray they all look like me. Two boys and a girl. I will teach her to ride a bicycle, then a motor bike and even teach her to drive a truck. So prepare to nurse the bruises and oh the boys will be playing soccer which I didn’t do much as a kid or engage in a trade whilst in school.

I have decided also not to be a businessman or a lawyer or doctor but a University teacher. Get ready to be my first student each morning before I leave for school. I have chosen this career path so that taking care of the kids will not be done majorly by you only. This is so because I don’t want your wonderful career to suffer. Follow your passion. You have my total support. I want to be part of that process.

Intimately, we shall be a fabulous pair, we will talk about any and everything in all subject areas. Learn how to play video games and scrabbles as well as soccer because I have started watching telenovela though I don’t enjoy them.

Our lives sweetheart will always radiate warmth. It will be a wonder to many. Our home, a solace for strangers, our kitchen a respite for the thirsty and hungry and our hearts shall be warmer than my mum’s “dades3n”. Remember also, that I will stop at nothing to constructively critique you if the need be. And if I do, don’t hate me. I have an obligation to the truth with you. I’m ever ready for the late night chats, the snore (I hope you don’t snore) and the killer looks when I go wrong.

My domestic dictator, I promise to love you fondly like Christ loved the church. I promise again to be a wonderful husband to you and a father to our three kids. Forgive me when I drink sometimes. It will only be beer and I promise to add peanut so I can kiss you on my return home. I will make it a habit to kiss you every morning and night before bed. I could go on writing but I know how much you don’t like reading long essays so I will end here but will continue when me meet face to face. Be careful not to look into my face whilst we talk else I shall be confused.

Finally, I hope you keep yourself well. Please stay away from these guys. They are only interested in getting into your pants 😊. Be sure to wear little or no makeup when we meet sooner or later. I will remember you in my conversation with God each blessed day. So until when you decide to say YES, I love you till THE END.

Your Husband In Waiting,

K. Oteng.

 

My New Year DIS-SOLUTIONs

Each year of our live is blessed with 21900 seconds which translates into 365 days. And in a matter of days, the year will end. In actual fact, all we have left is a few seconds and 2016 shall fizzle out like gas from an open can of coke as. It will add up to the pages of history notes in all spheres. 2016 will be dead and gone. Never to be remembered again except for the memory of events it brought us.

But before 2016 gives up on its last breath, there are a couple of things I would like us to reflect on. Over the last few months in the year 2016, many birthdays have been celebrated; friends and family members have left us sad because they died. We have made irreparable mistakes and triumphed in many of our daily endeavors. We fell in and out of love with many of us vowing to not fall in love again. And so have we been disappointed by friends and family and oh by our favourite soccer teams. Old habits have been jilted like a bad relationship and new ones embraced.

But why am I saying all this? At the end of each year as has been the practice over time, many of us go into a new year with NEW YEAR resolutions. New year resolutions are meant to make us better people as what we planned to achieve becomes a blue print for our lives. But the question I’m asking is why do we have all manner of people few days after New Year’s day doing the very things they sad they were not going to do anymore. Bad eating habits, terrible relationships are just to mention a few. If resolutions are meant to correct the wrongs, why do we have people who hate others so much right in the middle of the year? Unfortunately, I have not the answer but an admonition.

Soon it will be 31st night. Many of us will throng our church halls. Pastors will be shocked again at the numbers. Prayers will be said, bible read and lessons preached giving the people a lot of hope for the coming year and YES resolutions will be made. That is just good enough. Good enough to start the year. So what about a month or two after? Will we still keep hold of the promises made in the form of resolutions to ourselves? If yes, then I can rest here otherwise what a waste of time it will be. If we cant keep a promise to ourselves, how are we likely to keep that made to others?

Here is my thought. As 2016 crawls to an end, in place of a resolution you can’t keep anyway, have an open mind and heart. In it, make it a point to genuinely smile every day, make people feel important, allow space for errors-that way you are not disappointed. Set goals for each month or however you feel comfortable doing it. Learn to THANK YOU & SORRY regularly and let someone thank God for your life- Look for opportunities to be a blessing to someone.

So my dear friends, I didn’t have a resolution for 2016 but I’m very happy I did the two things I wanted to really do. May the coming year bring us all good tidings, may it be full of smiles which shall end with praise. May it be our best year ever. MERRY CHRISTMAS & A FABULOUS NEW YEAR…